Chapter: 28: Pavo

I fought to remain calm, but deep down, I was giddy with excitement.

Arthur had just witnessed what chaos I could provoke, yet he still wanted to teach me.

“Get up,” Arthur said, pointing to a chair a few tables away.

I dusted off my dress, calmly approached the chair he’d referred to, and sat down.

“You wield great powers,” Arthur said, leaning against one of the countless tables.

“But you wield them like a novice, which can be dangerous—possibly even fatal—for the people around you.”

My smile faded. His words made me want to dive deeper into the chair until I was as small as a fire ant.

I knew what I’d done had been wrong. It was wrong that I couldn’t control my powers, and I was wrong not to have attended an academy; I just hadn’t expected it to be so dangerous.

“However, I will teach you,” he said, folding his arms across his chest.

“I have taught many young Iridis like yourself before, and it will indeed be possible for you to tame your powers despite their extent.”

I nodded as I tasted the first drop of hope I’d felt in a long time.

“But first things first,” Arthur said, smiling as he looked at me. “Introductions—without filters, please.”

He probably referred to the notes of my contract, stating that I wasn’t allowed to share my history with anyone.

However, Arthur was my master. How would he teach me anything if he didn’t know the truth about me?

“Okay,” I said, hesitantly shifting in the chair. “My name is Willow Aldwyn. I am an Air—”

“I know your background,” Art said, interrupting me with a hand gesture for me to stop talking.

“Tell me about you. Tell me about your family and the rationale behind the decisions that led you here today.”

I held my breath, considering his request.

That story was unknown to most.

I’d revealed part of it to Milo because he’d asked, but far from everything. It was a secret I’d kept for so long that it had become a forbidden story to even whisper alone at night.

I hardly knew where to start, but eventually, I did.

Arthur was patient despite the teleporter’s previous warning.

He didn’t interrupt me while I spoke and attentively listened to every word forged by the shape of my tongue until I breathed the last sentence of my tale.

“Thank you, Willow,” Arthur said, smiling. “Your family must be very important to you. That’s good.”

I smiled, proud to hear those words from him. My family meant everything to me. They were the entire reason I’d agreed to do this.

Arthur pushed himself away from the table, leaving his staff behind.

My breath hitched when he suddenly straightened his back, transforming from a feeble old man with a modest hump on his back into a warrior stronger than ten full-grown men.

He’d never been chubby, but his wide frame and baggy clothes empowered the illusion.

The new posture also made him appear ten years younger.

Then he pulled down one of the various drapes, revealing a painting of five people—two adults and three children.

“My name is Arthur Pavo, and I will be honored to teach you the art of air.”

My body froze when I realized who the five people in the painting were.

The previous king and queen and their three children, but I only recognized King Alaric. I didn’t know he had siblings.

“Yo-you’re a P-Pavo,” I stuttered, analyzing the brown-haired boy in the painting, who couldn’t have been more than five. “You’re a golden descendant.”

“I am,” Arthur said, slightly bowing his head as if I could ever be his equal.

My head started spinning as I realized why the king and the prince had wanted me to come here. My master was the king’s brother and Atlas’s uncle.

Arthur chuckled at my startled expression.

“I have been living in my brother’s shadow for as long as I can remember, and after Alaric’s Crown Trials, I decided to relocate to the Sky Realm to study under the Templars.”

Arthur had studied under the Templars.

Maybe that was why his attire resembled their uniforms so closely.

I’d never met a Templar, but I’d heard stories and seen pictures of them in books.

They were the greatest air wielders Heliac had to offer, dedicating their lives to studying the advanced field of air.

Ten new individuals from their limited pool of candidates were selected each decade to carry on their legacy as the Great Ten.

People often discussed whether the strongest Iridis could be found among the Great Ten or the Flare Warriors.

“I haven’t appeared in front of any cameras since, and given your past from the Bronze Region, I didn’t expect you to be familiar with me,” Arthur continued, his eyes studying the painting of his family.

“Who’s the girl?” I whispered, studying the little blonde-haired girl tugging her mother’s dress.

Arthur’s smile faded, and I worried I might have struck a nerve I wasn’t supposed to have found.

“Ava,” Arthur said, his eyes emptily staring at her detailed face. “She died not long after this picture was taken in an accident that the history books seem to have forgotten.”

He breathed deeply before he turned to me.

“But let that be the first topic of today’s discussion,” Arthur said, clearing his throat. “Tell me what you know of the golden family and my beloved brother.”

It took a moment for me to recover from the unexpected realization that King Alaric had siblings until I stuttered the first word.

“I—um…,” I said, trying to find the right words to describe the history I’d read a thousand times over.

“I know that it all began when Jonathan Pavo discovered the Golden Cave that gave him the power to tame the oceans,” I began, my fingers fiddling with my dress.

I’d never been expected to recite my knowledge so formally before, but I needed to get used to it.

“The mutation spread, and the world became what we now know as Heliac—a united society divided into realms whose environmental conditions are adapted to suit our respective powers.

“The Sky Realm, the Ocean Realm, the Inferno Realm, the Terra Realm, and the Golden Realm—where Pavo was the first ruler.”

I paused, allowing myself a moment to breathe and remember more details of the past.

“Thousands of years ago, The Crown Trials were invented to ensure peace would always reign by allowing the strongest and most honorable Iridis to ascend the throne beside the golden heir.

“Queen Pangea won her title in the previous season of the Crown Trials and ruled alongside King Alaric for many years before she mysteriously disappeared.

“The next golden heir—Atlas Caiden Pavo—and his siblings—Calix and Eos Pavo—now carry on her cherished legacy.”

Arthur calmly nodded, and it gave me the confidence to continue.

“The mutation is irregular and does not affect us based on status, blood, or experience. Only the golden heir is guaranteed to mutate, although no one has yet been able to explain why—”

“Wrong,” Arthur said, and I looked at him in disbelief.

I had to stop myself from spitting a justification at him. Instead, I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood.

“Some know the reason behind the heir’s mystical fortune, but the rest of Heliac can never know.”

Arthur was saying words that should’ve made sense to me because I’d been speaking the same language for almost two decades, but they didn’t.

“The royal may act as Heliac’s saviors, but they keep many secrets in the name of peace, as you should’ve noticed by now.”

I nodded when I realized he was referring to my own situation.

“You have been told that the Golden Cave has been long lost and that Jonathan’s notes describe the wrong coordinates, correct?”

I nodded again.

That was what various travelers had concluded every time they set out to find it.

People had, for centuries, used Pavo’s journal to navigate dangerous waters only to come home empty-handed. So, either the coordinates were wrong, or the cave could move.

“This is not true,” Arthur continued. “The royals know of its location, but every book available in Heliac has been rewritten to provide you with different coordinates.

“Only the king and the queen know of its actual location.

“When the first child of a descendant is born, they visit the cave and bathe their child in the light of the Pavo Stone, thus ensuring the mutation.”

My mind strained, trying to make heads or tails out of his claims. “But what about you?” I asked, looking up. “The royal siblings won’t necessarily mutate.”

“That decision was made to advocate credibility and maintain the trust of Heliac.”

“But why? Why not share this knowledge with the rest of Heliac?”

Arthur chuckled as the familiar beast of curiosity possessed me.

“Regrettably, the nature of man is a very predictable paradox. If every living soul knew the location of the renowned cave and its powers, who knows how long it would be allowed to exist in its natural state.”

It made sense, but it still felt wrong to exploit such a significant secret for their own benefit when the rest of Heliac couldn’t.

“How come you’re telling me this?” I whispered.

It was yet another secret for me to keep.

Arthur smiled. “You will be my student from now on. I need you to trust me like you would your mother, so I don’t want any secrets to come between us.

“Besides, keeping secrets should not be an issue based on your history.”

I didn’t know whether to accept that remark as an insult or a compliment.

“Have you shared this information with your previous students?” I asked, quirking my brow.

Arthur shook his head. “No, but my relationship with you will be much different than theirs.”

~What was that supposed to mean?~

“Now,” Arthur said, clapping his hands. “I have kept you here for long enough for today.”

I twisted my head to look at the clock hovering behind me. Four hours had already passed since I’d looked at it last. I’d missed lunch.

“I expect to see you here again next week, same time, but not wearing that,” he said, pointing at my dress.

What else was he expecting me to wear? I didn’t have anything besides dresses and delicate nightgowns.

“I-I don’t think I have much else,” I admitted, straightening the skirt as if that would make it more suitable for his lectures.

When I looked up to analyze his face, he’d turned his back toward me and was rummaging through a giant casket.

Then he began throwing pieces of fabric for me to catch.

“Have your maids fit that to your size by next week,” he said, grabbing my shoulders to guide me toward the exit. “Send my regards to my nephew when you see him.”

My heart stumbled over its rhythm when Arthur mentioned his nephew. There was less than a week before we were to meet him officially, and the Crown Trials began.

“Thank you, Master Arthur,” I said, bowing my head to acknowledge his status as a prince.

“Please, call me Art,” he said, rubbing his neck. “I might look like my brother appearance-wise, but this royal charade is not my life, and Arthur is so very formal.”

I smiled, relieved to hear that Art’s classes might turn out to be a place where I could escape my royal reality in the future.

“Then I’ll see you next week...Art,” I said, stepping outside before Art closed the door behind me.

My smile disappeared when I turned around to witness the abandoned hall facing me.

Faye probably didn’t know where I was, and frankly, neither did I.

I wandered the halls like a mindless Muneax for almost half an hour before finally finding the air wing.

Faye jumped down from her chair when I entered my room.

“Willow!” she exclaimed, grabbing my face to twist it as if she was looking for injuries. “I couldn’t find you after your lecture with Miss Naoise. You missed lunch!”

My stomach growled when she mentioned lunch.

“I-I know, Faye,” I said, trying to craft a believable lie. “I began feeling warm during Miss Naoise’s class, and she sent me to the healers. I’m okay, but I could really use some food.”

“Should I get some for you?” she asked, pointing at the door.

“If you don’t mind…”

She smiled broadly. “Of course not, but I have one question before I go.”

I looked at her, awaiting her query when she pointed at my overflowing embrace. “What’s that?”

“That’s right!” I exclaimed when I remembered what Art had asked me to do before next week. “Could you make this fit me?”

I handed her the fabric, and she inspected it with care. Then her eyes widened.

“This is an air warrior’s uniform,” she explained, untangling the mess to display its form. “I’ve never seen one in real life, and I didn’t think you’d be given one already.”

Had Art given me an authentic uniform?

Faye shook her head and folded the uniform into a knot of fabric again. “Have you received word from Miss Pride?” she asked, placing the uniform on my vanity table.

I shook my head. “I didn’t meet her on my way back.”

“She won’t be joining you for dinner, so news about the pending days was given during lunch,” Faye explained as she approached the door.

I stopped fiddling with the book I’d picked up and turned my attention to her.

“Lectures on basic behavior and etiquette will continue tomorrow. Miss Pride is determined to prepare all of you thoroughly for the royal life of suitors before the Crown Trials begin.”

My eyes rolled to the back of my head.

“All of us” was a pretty reference to me. Evie needed to ensure ~I~ was prepared for the royal life of a proper liar.

The others already had plenty of training in etiquette and basic manners; I was the only one lagging behind.

I threw myself on the bed and allowed my body to relax after a long day. Yesterday had been a nightmare for me; tomorrow, I had to go through it again.

“Friday and Saturday are free for you to explore the castle and—”

“We have days off?” I sat up again, hopeful.

Faye nodded and continued from where I’d rudely interrupted her. “Miss Pride recommends that you spend those days personalizing your chambers and socializing in the parlor.

“Sunday, you’ll be expected to appear fully dressed in the ballroom where Miss Pride wishes to rehearse the events of Monday.”

So, I had two days—two days to find myself a tolerable home in this castle. And Monday, the games would begin.